American Bald Eagle

Description:

Bald Eagles are not actually bald; the name derives from an older meaning of "white headed". The adult is mainly brown with a white head and tail. The sexes are identical in plumage, but females are larger than males. The beak is large and hooked. The plumage of the immature is brown. The Bald Eagle has a body length of 70–102 centimeters (28–40 in). Typical wingspan is between 1.8 and 2.3 m (5.9 and 7.5 ft) The Bald Eagle is an opportunistic feeder. It builds the largest nest of any North American bird. Sexual maturity is attained at the age of four to five years. The Bald Eagle is the national bird of the United States of America and appears on its Seal. In the late 20th century it was on the brink of extirpation in the continental United States. Populations recovered and the species was removed from the U.S. federal government's list of endangered species on July 12, 1995 and transferred to the list of threatened species. It was removed from the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife in the Lower 48 States on June 28, 2007.

Habitat:

The Bald Eagle occurs during its breeding season in virtually any kind of American wetland habitat such as seacoasts, rivers, large lakes or marshes or other large bodies of open water with an abundance of fish

Notes:

The Bald Eagle in this picture was spotted on land owned by the Boy Scouts of South Florida. The nest is located in Pembroke Pines. The pictures are not the best quality but was so rare to see an Eagle in the wild in south Florida I though I would share my sighting. The scouts were awed by the size and significance of the bird.